Page 7 of The Devil's Hunt

My steps were hurried and determined as I moved toward the townhouse I shared with Lacey. The wind had picked up slightly, and I shivered as I chastised myself for not grabbing a jacket before I rushed out of my front door this morning. The crowds began to thin as other students laughed and headed on their own way to enjoy their evening with friends. I was deep in thought when cold droplets of rain started pounding against my skin—icy droplets that sent a chill to my bones. I had to get out of the rainstorm quickly, so I took a shortcut through the alley across from the apartments. Despite the cold, fear started coursing through my veins when I heard the sound of a glass bottle breaking behind me. Without thinking twice, I spun around and slammed into an immovable force, sending me stumbling backward into the brick wall behind me.

My eyes widened in both shock and surprise when I saw him—Archer—closing the distance between us. His face was still and focused, and a flood of emotions ran through me. He pressed his body against mine, and I was frozen in place. The rational part of mybrain told me to run, but the irrational part wouldn’t let me. Fear and excitement intertwined like lovers performing a passionate dance in my veins. I stared at his lips, dangerously close to mine, his body pressing against me with unyielding force.

He was close enough for me to count the raindrops sliding down his perfect face. He leaned in closer, his breath hot on my neck as he whispered, "Didn't your daddy ever tell you not to walk in a dark alley alone?"

My teeth chattered, and my body trembled in anticipation.

"Are you afraid of me, little rabbit?"

I nodded my head slowly, not trusting my voice. As he trailed his hand down my spine, I shuddered involuntarily, pushing my pelvis into his, my body betraying me. He chuckled darkly, his lips grazing my ear. "You're trembling with fear, aren't you?"

I couldn't deny it as much as I wanted to.

"Yes," I whispered, barely audible.

My heart raced like a wild stallion, confused about how this man could stir me up in ways I had never experienced before, setting fire to my blood.

"Do you want me to let you go?"

I turned my head slightly and nodded again, biting my lip, trying to control my shaking. His gaze dropped to my mouth, tracking my lips hungrily, and his hand pressed against the small of my back. Before I could register what was happening, he pulled me toward him with a shift of his hips and buried his face in my neck. I felt myself go weightless as we both fell against the wall behind us. His nose and lips trailed up my neck and across my jaw, searching, daring.

He pulled away only to whisper in my ear, "I think I'll let you go…for now."

With that, he released me and walked off in the opposite direction of my apartment, leaving me breathless and weak in the knees. I slumped against the brick behind me.

Finally, after what seemed like a ridiculous amount of time, I forced my heavy legs to move and carry me inside the safety of myfront yard. I felt like I was moving through a haze. My body was numb with a strange mixture of terror and desire. When I finally reached my front door, I slid my key into the lock and headed inside, the smell of Chinese food assaulting my nostrils.

"Holy shit, Mila! Are you okay?" Lacey was sitting with her legs crossed on our couch, a face mask on, and her hair in a towel.

"Yeah...just a little rain outside." I tried to shake away Archer's touch on my skin as I spoke. "How was your day?"

She rolled her eyes and sighed, "It was alright. Nursing a hell of a hangover, though. And Chad is being all clingy, all because I stayed over last night. This is why I have a ‘no sleepover’ rule." She threw her hands up in frustration and started unwrapping the paper on her chopsticks.

I headed upstairs, Lacey close on my heels, shuffled into my room, and began stripping off my wet clothes. "I'm going to take a shower," I muttered and headed toward the bathroom.

"Oh no, you don't!" Lacey followed me into the bathroom. "What happened with Muscles last night?"

"Nothing." I turned on the shower and pulled my hair tie out, releasing my ponytail as steam filled the bathroom around us.

"Nothing? That's it?" she stammered, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall, demanding answers.

"We had a drink together, and then I went to look for you, but you left me." I shrugged out of my robe and stepped into the water, letting the warm spray envelop my body. "Dick move, by the way."

"Well, how'd you get home then?" she yelled over the sound of the water.

"I caught a ride with some people I recognized from class," I lied, closing my eyes so I didn't have to face her inquisitive and, most likely, unbelieving stare.

I was a horrible liar, but nonetheless, Lacey was my best friend, and we just didn't lie to each other. The one thing we made a priority in our friendship was transparency. My stomach was in knots from making the decision to be dishonest to her. There was this nervous coiling in my stomach that was twisting around my insides because Icould still see Zach's crimson blood pouring out of his slit neck and feel its warmth as it covered my cold skin.

But how could I tell Lacey that I thought I’d witnessed a murder when so far, there was no body, and no one had reported him missing? Most importantly, why did it feel more wrong for me to lie to Lacey than it did to witness what could possibly be a murder? I swallowed the darkness that crawled up my throat and washed myself, trying to soothe the internal storm that threatened to consume me.

I had more questions than answers, and at that point, the only person that could give me those answers was Archer.

3

THREE

MILA

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